The Perfect Pantry

Arrowroot, and two cookie recipes

What's the best thing about blogging?

After a lifetime as a professional writer and editor, I can answer without hesitation. Reaching and interacting with a new audience of smart, funny, interesting readers all around the world. Learning from those smart, funny, interesting readers.

And being able to correct mistakes pointed out to me by those smart, funny, interesting readers.

I remember how I felt when, at age 16, I saw my first byline in a real not-my-high-school newspaper. Joy! Rapture!

And then, I saw it. A typographical error. A typo.

Darn. I had proofed the original -- an obituary, only two or three paragraphs long -- a dozen times. No typo, yet there it was in print, irrevocable, for ever and ever, under my very first byline. I was crushed.

Since then, of course there have been many errors, and, like the first ding I put in the bumper of my dad's car, I've learned to own up to the mistakes I make and to live with those that appear in print, uninvited and unloved, under my name.

In The Perfect Pantry (oh, joy of blogging!) I can and do fix mistakes. I can, and do, add and improve, too.

In a previous post about arrowroot (also called arrowroot starch or flour), I wrote about the origins and benefits of using arrowroot instead of cornstarch. I forgot to mention that arrowroot gives a better sheen to sauces, and that sauces thickened with arrowroot will freeze better than those thickened with other starches. And I learned from a reader that because arrowroot is not a leavening agent, it can be used in cooking and baking for Passover.

Arrowroot biscuit packaging now features happy, smiling babies on the box.

I also wrote that in my earlier post, and ever since, I've wanted to eat my words. Not because it isn't true. It is true, but I wish it weren't.

In the comments, a reader posted the ingredient list from Nabisco's arrowroot biscuits, the brand with the smiling baby on the box: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate [Vitamin B1], riboflavin [Vitamin B2], folic acid), sugar (beet and cane), partially hydrogenated soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup, arrowroot flour, cornstarch, soy lecithin (emulsifier), salt, leavening (baking soda).

High fructose corn syrup. Higher on the ingredient list than arrowroot.

Enough said.

Today I'm passing along to you two healthy and delicious arrowroot cookie recipes shared by readers of The Perfect Pantry. These cookies aren't just for kids; they're perfect with afternoon tea, and, because arrowroot is easily digestible, a cookie or two will help to settle your stomach after a long day of writing and revising.

MELTING WOK'S ARROWROOT COOKIES
Traditionally made for Chinese New Year, these cookies come directly from the source -- Melting Wok's mom.

2-1/2 cups arrowroot flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 large-sized egg yolk
120ml (4 oz) coconut cream or thick coconut milk

Place the arrowroot flour on a paper towel, put it in microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for 1-2 minutes. Set aside and let it cool. (The traditional way is to fry the flour in the wok or roast it in the oven.) Tip: Also microwave extra arrowroot flour for later, just in case you need to add more if the dough is too wet to knead.

Sieve the arrowroot flour and sugar into a big bowl. Add the melted butter, egg yolk and coconut milk. Knead until the dough is pliable. Tip: If the dough is too wet or too soft, add more flour, little at a time and knead until the dough gets more firm. If the dough is too dry, add more coconut milk.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of your liking, preferably about 1/4-inch, and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. 

Arrange on a lined baking tray. I would use the silicone sheet (Silpat or similar). Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.

Other useful tips: Make sure the dough is not too wet, otherwise it won't hold the shape. How does one know? Sometimes when you roll the dough out and cut it with a cookie cutter and place it on the baking tray, the shape disappears before your eyes. If this happens, add a little more arrowroot flour and knead it again. If the shape holds, you are good to go.

End Result: Crispy on the outside, and melts in your mouth when you bite into the center.

MARCIA'S ARROWROOT COOKIES
My friend Marcia shared this more traditional recipe in the comments on the earlier post. Makes 3-1/2 dozen.

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup arrowroot
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper, or grease the baking sheet with butter. Set aside.

In a large bowl or in a Kitchenaid-type mixer, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, stir together remaining (dry) ingredients, and add to the egg mixture. Mix well. Flour your countertop or board, and roll dough to 1/8-inch thick (or slightly thicker, to taste). Cut into 2-1/2 inch rounds, and place on the baking sheet. Prick each cookie several times with a fork. Bake until golden, 8-10 minutes, or longer if your cookies are thicker.

Also in The Perfect Pantry:
Beef stir-fry with bitter melon
Slow-cooked beef and green chile stew
Poppy seed torte
Asparagus-cashew stir fry

Other People's Pantries #9

From Sandi (Whistlestop Cafe Cooking), in Birmingham, Alabama:

Bill would be the first to tell you that I am not organized. I think I am ~ just in my own way!

On Saturdays, we peek into Other People's Pantries.

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

White vinegar and volcanoes (Recipe: pineapple-cucumber salad)

Once upon a time -- okay, it was just a few weeks ago -- I found five (five) bottles of distilled white vinegar in my pantry.

I'm not a pickle fanatic.

I'm not a brine fanatic.

I'm most definitely not a window-cleaning fanatic.

I used to be able to keep inventory in my head of everything that I had in the pantry. For a few months, I kept forgetting that I have vinegar, and every time I passed it in the supermarket aisle, I'd buy more. And more. And more.

If you are not old, you might not recognize this for what it is: a cautionary tale, a heads-up, a peek into your future. When you are old like me, you will, I promise, develop a mental block against some item in your pantry, and you will buy it even when it is not on your grocery list. And each time, you'll place it on the shelf, next to the one you bought the week before. You'll mutter to yourself, oh phoo, I already have this.

Yes, the block passes -- but it passes to another item. Just when you finally stop buying one item, you find you've started stockpiling insane quantities of something else: cocoa powder, or frozen peas, or brown lentils or bamboo skewers or dried lasagna noodles or turmeric.

Or vinegar.

For more than 5,000 years, vinegar has been made the same way, by the fermentation of natural sugars to alcohol, and then further fermentation to vinegar. Almost anything that contains sugar can ferment into vinegar: wine, of course, but also molasses, dates, sorghum, fruits, berries, melons, coconut, honey, beer, maple syrup, potatoes, beets, malt, grains -- and distilled alcohol, which is the base of white vinegar.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, vinegar sold at retail must contain a minimum of 4% acidity (the amount of acetic acid present). White vinegar is generally 5% but can be as high as 7%; the acidity is always printed somewhere on the label.

If you're planning to use vinegar for pickled vegetables, don't use homemade vinegar unless you test the acidity level. Vinegar is a self-preservative (it will last for many years in your pantry; no need to refrigerate), and low-acid vinegars are fine for salad dressings. But to kill bacteria in a preserved food, the acidity should be at least 4 percent.

Keep vinegar in your pantry for making mustard, red velvet cake, cole slaw, pie crust, chicken adobo, or hot sauce.

From The Vinegar Institute, here's a recipe of a different kind, guaranteed to add excitement in your kitchen (or, better yet, in the back yard):

How to build a volcano: First, make the cone of the volcano. Mix 6 cups flour, 2 cups salt, 4 Tbsp cooking oil and 2 cups of water. The resulting mixture should be smooth and firm (more water may be added if needed). Stand a soda bottle in a baking pan and mold the dough around it into a volcano shape. Do not cover the hole or drop dough into it. Fill the bottle most of the way full with warm water and a bit of red food color (can be done before sculpting if you work quickly so the water stays warm). Add 6 drops of detergent to the bottle contents. Add 2 Tbsp baking soda to the liquid. Slowly pour vinegar into the bottle. Watch out -- eruption time!

And remember: vinegar kills weeds in your garden.

CANTONESE PINEAPPLE-CUCUMBER SALAD
In the Asian market last week, I saw a jar of pickled shallots. Something about their pink-ness cried "Spring is here!", and I remembered this recipe, a family favorite from Brian Jung. Serves 6.

1 large English (seedless) cucumber, peeled and sliced paper-thin
2 small carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch matchsticks
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup white vinegar
6 Tbsp sugar
12 pickled shallots, sliced paper-thin, + 1 Tbsp juice reserved from the jar
1 16-oz can pineapple in heavy syrup, drained, + 4 Tbsp syrup reserved from the can
1 Tbsp toasted white or black sesame seeds

Place cucumber and carrots in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Weight down with a plate, and allow to sit 20 minutes. In the meantime, heat the vinegar and sugar in a small sauce pan, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Rinse the cucumber and carrots under cold water and drain. Place in a bowl or large jar with shallots and reserved shallot juice, pineapple and reserved pineapple syrup, and the vinegar solution, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. To Serve garnished with sesame seeds.

Also in The Perfect Pantry:
Tomato-nectarine chutney
Asian slaw
Carrot-beet salad
Caponata
Hot and sour soup
Countertop dill pickles
Honey-tarragon mustard

Phyllo shells (Recipe: one-bite vegetable quiche)

Does your house sometimes feel like a bed-and-breakfast inn, with a steady stream of guests coming and going?

When you live in a log house in the woods, with a great kitchen and a fireplace and a big screened porch and indoor plumbing, you get plenty of company. (Yes, people ask. Do we need sleeping bags? Do you have towels? Should we bring flashlights? I remind them that, even out here in the woods, we have a dishwasher and DSL.)

If you're me, you love having people come to visit. Of course, if you're me, you don't bake, so you're always on the lookout for ingredients to keep in the pantry for easy entertaining.

When it comes to pastry, I'm all thumbs. Forget making it from scratch; even a store-bought pie dough becomes silly putty in my hands. However, a bit of pastry can dress up almost anything, from scrambled eggs to hummus to leftover Chinese food, so I stash a few boxes of phyllo shells in the freezer.

Phyllo (pronounced FEE-lo, from the Greek word meaning "leaf", but also spelled fillo or filo) is paper-thin dough made from flour and water, layered with oil or melted butter. Phyllo originated in Turkey, and while it features in the cuisines of many Mediterranean and Balkan countries -- dishes like strudel, spanakopita and baklava -- it can be used to envelop chicken, lamb, asparagus, figs and cheese, butterscotch, or pears.

Any filling you'd use with sheets of phyllo dough will work with these pre-formed shells, which, at one-and-a-half inches in diameter, hold one bite's worth of anything sweet or savory. Use the pre-baked shells as is, defrosted and filled with a bit of ice cream or fruit or tuna salad. Or fill the frozen shells with a savory custard or leftover mashed potatoes, pop them into the oven, and bake for 12-14 minutes.

Whether you actually operate a bed-and-breakfast inn, or love to have company in your home, you can find recipes, tips and inspiration in a brand new blog: Inn Cuisine, the brainchild of Sandie, a Kansas City-based business writer, mother of three, and lover of bed-and-breakfast establishments.

I've "adopted" Sandie through the wonderful Adopt-a-Blogger program created by Dine and Dish to match experienced bloggers with those who've joined the food blogging community more recently. My role is to help my adoptee in any way I can, with advice and technical support (actually, she knows more than I do), and by introducing her blog to you.

When I first heard from Sandie, she hadn't yet launched Inn Cuisine. So I've been able to watch this blog grow from the very beginning. It's been so much fun to see her vision take shape, and to participate in the brainstorming process. We even had a kind of Vulcan mind-meld moment late one night, when we both thought of the same blog name at the same time.

Inn Cuisine will introduce you to innkeepers and their B&Bs, to wonderful afternoon teas and sumptuous breakfasts. A resource for travelers, cooks and proprietors, Inn Cuisine celebrates the hospitality and graciousness of the B&B experience.

Please pop over to Inn Cuisine, leave a comment, and visit often. Check out Sandie's recent series of posts about tea, crepes and honey. If, like me, you've always been a bit afraid of crepes, you'll love her step-by-step photos and instructions.

ONE-BITE VEGETABLE QUICHE
Irresistible, flexible, fast and easy! Each box of phyllo shells makes 15 miniature quiches, perfect for entertaining and for A Taste of Yellow 2008, supporting cancer survivors and their families. This recipe is for my courageous friends (and frequent house guests) Joyce and Fred.

1 package mini phyllo shells
1 large egg
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced onion or shallot
1 Tbsp minced red bell pepper
1 Tbsp minced zucchini
Pinch of minced fresh thyme
Pinch of minced fresh parsley or chives
Kosher salt and black pepper or piment d'Espelette, to taste

Remove the shells from the package and place on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and set aside.

In a small nonstick frying pan, heat the oil. Add onion, bell pepper, and zucchini, and sauté for 2 minutes, until the vegetables are slightly cooked. Remove from heat, allow to cool for one minute, stir in the herbs, and add the mixture to the egg. Season with salt and pepper. Fill the shells with the egg mixture. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until egg is set. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Also in The Perfect Pantry:
Tyropita
Teeny tiny lime tarts
Elaine's lemon curd

Cinnamon (Recipe: Mexican-spiced fish)

I like a spice that swings both ways.

Cinnamon, for example.

It can go sweet, or savory. Hot or cool. Mild, or with a bit of a bite.

At the moment I have two types of ground cinnamon, plus Indonesian cinnamon sticks from Penzeys, in The Perfect Pantry. I'm not a cinnamon snob; I'm just one lucky cook.

My friend Candy recently traveled to Vietnam; in the Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City, she bought (for me!) some fragrant ground cinnamon in a beautiful hand-carved box made from a branch of a cinnamon tree. That's it, in the photo.

Vietnamese cinnamon is said to be the highest quality, with the strongest flavor, but it's often twice the price of the cassia cinnamon I use for everyday. (In many countries, including the United States, cassia can be sold as cinnamon.) My go-to is Indonesian Korintje cassia cinnamon, which has a bit milder and sweet taste -- the cinnamon flavor of my childhood -- or sometimes Chinese cassia, which is slightly spicier.

Cinnamon is the inner skin of the bark of a plant in the laurel family (cassia is a different, but related, plant). The bark is peeled from the trees during the rainy season and left to dry and ferment for 24 hours. Then the outer layer of the bark is scraped off, leaving the inner, light-covered bark, which curls as it dries. Cinnamon sticks, which often seem to have a very mild flavor, come from the tree's upper new growth; more intense, ground cinnamon is made from old growth bark on the lower part of the tree.

When buying sticks, look at the shape of the quill. Cinnamon rolls into a single quill (like a telescope), while cassia curls from both sides toward the center, like a scroll. The sticks are difficult to grind, so it's best to keep both sticks and ground cinnamon on hand in the pantry. You can use cinnamon and cassia interchangeably, in bread, muffins, cake and cookies, but also with chicken, lamb and beef.

According to The World's Healthiest Foods, seasoning a high carb food with cinnamon can lessen the impact on blood sugar levels. I don't think this means that a bit of cinnamon will turn a sticky bun into health food (oh, how I wish it could), but it makes me even more enthusiastic about the health benefits of the cinnamon-spiced tagine cuisine I've been learning to cook.

In ancient times, cinnamon was used both for embalming, and as an aphrodisiac. Hmmm.

----------------------

Long overdue but heartfelt thanks to Amy from Nook & Pantry, Rebecca of From Argentina with Love, Meeta from What's for Lunch Honey? and Gretchen Noelle of Canela & Comino for honoring me with the E for Excellent Award. These wonderful blogs enrich my knowledge of Asian, Indian and South American cuisines, and I urge you to follow the links and enjoy.

Now it's my turn to recognize other blogs that are E for Excellent. Though some have been honored with this award previously, I hope you'll join me in celebrating the work of these five blogs, written by amazing storytellers who wrap their prose around you like the aroma of a fresh-from-the-oven loaf of bread. You'll want to settle in with them and read, and cook, and then read more: Tea and Cookies, Blue Kitchen, The Traveler's Lunchbox, The Wednesday Chef, and Culinary Types.

If these blogs are new to you, please discover. Search on each one for a recipe that uses cinnamon. You'll be so glad you did.

MEXICAN-SPICED FISH
We don't often think of the traditional "warm" spices with fish, but this recipe, adapted from The Food and Cooking of Mexico, South America and the Caribbean, by Jane Milton, Jenni Fleetwood and Marina Filippelli, uses cinnamon, cumin and annatto to give rich flavor to the fish (and the annatto will give this a bit of red-yellow color). The striped bass I saw at my fish market last week would be perfect here. Serves 6.

3-1/2 lbs striped bass, cod steak, or any non-oily white fish, cut into 6 portions
2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
12 oz tomatoes, sliced
2 drained canned jalapeño chiles, rinsed and sliced, or 2 fresh jalapeños, seeded, ribs removed, and minced
A few flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish

For the marinade:
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground annatto
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup mild white vinegar
Kosher salt, to taste

Arrange the fish in a single layer in a shallow dish.

Make the marinade: With a mortar and pestle, grind the garlic and peppercorns. Add the oregano, cumin, annatto and cinnamon, and vinegar, and mix to a paste. Add salt to taste, and spread the marinade on both sides of the fish. Cover and leave in a cool place, or in the refrigerator on a very hot day, for one hour.

In a flame-proof pan large enough to hold the fish in a single layer, pour in the oil and spread it to cover (use more oil if necessary). Place the fish in the dish, and top with the remaining marinade. Arrange the sliced onions, garlic, tomatoes and jalapeño over the fish.

Cover and cook over a low heat on the stovetop for 15-20 minutes, or until the fish is no longer translucent. Garnish with some flat-leaf parsley, if desired, and serve hot with rice.

Also in The Perfect Pantry:
Cranberry rice pudding
Aromatic rice pudding
Mole colorado

Other People's Pantries #8

From Tanna (My Kitchen in Half Cups), in Dallas, Texas:

I love being able to go in my pantry and close the door. It's quiet. It keeps noise in or out. I grind my coffee in there and keep the coffee pot in there at the moment. When we first moved into this house, the pantry was spacious. Of late I'm noticing things getting crowded. Time for a general clean out. Wonder what I'll find I've hidden away that's made its way into the deep corners. (For more photos and notes about my pantry, see this post.)

On Saturdays, we peek into Other People's Pantries.

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

Eggs (Recipe: asparagus frittata)

For much of the year, within a mile or two in any direction from my house, you'll find a farm selling fresh eggs.

Last summer Ted stopped at a farm up the road from us, to photograph this sign that surely gave passers-by something to think about. Five flavors of eggs? Intriguing! But no, it was the goat cheese that came in five flavors. And no, the eggs weren't in that cooler; they were in the house, properly stored in the refrigerator.

Every culture that has chickens eats eggs, and thanks to Christopher Columbus, who brought some hens with him on his second voyage in 1493, that includes those of us in the United States.

High in protein and choline, and low in calories, eggs qualify as one of the world's healthiest foods -- and one of the most versatile. Without eggs, we'd have no baked eggs, no meatloaf, no egg muffins, no macarons, no egg fried rice, no breakfast tacos and, of course, no soufflé.

In a previous post about eggs, I wrote about the relationship between ear color and eggshell color. If that wasn't wacky enough, here's a bit more egg trivia:

• A hen works hard to produce eggs, and hers is not an easy or glamorous life. She starts laying at 19 weeks of age, lays approximately one egg per day, and gets only half an hour of rest between the birth of one egg and the production of the next. (Whew...) She will turn each egg approximately 50 times a day, to keep the yolk from sticking to the shell.
• In France, a bride may break an egg on the threshold of her new home, to bring good luck and healthy babies. She can clean up that broken egg (or perhaps her new husband will do it for her) by sprinkling lots of salt to help the egg coagulate.
• Eggs are packed in their cartons large-end up, to keep the yolk centered and the air bubble intact.
• Legend holds that you can balance an egg large-end up at the exact moment of the Spring Equinox, which was today, March 20, 2008, at 5:48 GMT. Did anyone try it?
• One large egg has 80 calories.
• One dozen large eggs should weigh 24 ounces (a dozen medium, 21 ounces; a dozen extra-large, 27 ounces).
• The larger the egg, the older the hen who laid it.
• The largest amount of money ever paid for an egg is $18.5 million US dollars, for the Rothschild Faberge egg, which features a working clock and a glass hen inside.

If you're watching your intake of cholesterol, the American Heart Association's recent guidelines allow an egg a day, rather than three per week, as part of an overall recommended daily limit of 300 milligrams of cholesterol.

If you like to have fun with food, check out this great Egg Activity Book for kids, from the Georgia Egg Commission.

And if you still don't know which came first, the chicken or the egg, a geneticist, a philosopher and a chicken farmer have come up with the definitive answer: it was the egg.


ASPARAGUS FRITTATA FOR TWO
Though it's not quite the season for local asparagus here in Rhode Island, I couldn't resist a beautiful bunch from the market. Frittatas are our favorite weeknight fast-food dinner, served with a green salad and a slice of crusty bread. They can be simple or complex, made on the stovetop or in the oven. If you're lucky enough to have farm eggs, your frittata will be a deep golden color, almost like saffron. Thanks to an abundance of cheese, the frittata will have plenty of salt. Serves 2; can be doubled.

5 large eggs
1/2 cup grated cheddar, mild or sharp, or more to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion or shallot, minced
8 asparagus spears, stems trimmed, cut into half-inch lengths
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or asiago cheese

In a measuring cup (4-cup size or larger), whisk the eggs with a tablespoon of water. Stir in the grated cheddar and black pepper, and set aside.

In a small nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and asparagus, and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until the onions are slightly browned. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, and turn the heat to simmer. Cover the frying pan and cook the frittata gently for 4-5 minutes, or until the eggs are nearly set.

Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle the Parmigiano-Reggiano over the eggs, and place under the broiler until the cheesy top is bubbling. Let the frittata stand at room temperature for at least five minutes before serving. Can be served hot, room temperature, or cold.

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Egg curry
Albornia de chayote
Outrageous brownies
Cheesy omeletta
Frittata with broccoli and garden herbs
Spice cake

Cornmeal (Recipe: polenta dome)

'Tis the season for political battles, and here in Rhode Island, the battle rages on.

It's not political.

Well, it is political, but it's not Democrat-Republican, count-the-delegates political.

It's a battle for the one true jonnycake  -- our signature cornmeal pancake -- and here in the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, we take this battle seriously.

Jonnycakes (a.k.a. johnnycakes. See? We can't even agree on the spelling.) can be thick or thin, made with water or milk, depending on whether you're in the East Bay area around Newport, or west of the bay, in South County.

One thing we all agree on is that jonnycakes are made from Rhode Island stone-ground white cap flint cornmeal, an item that can be found on the shelves of every local grocery store.

We also agree that yellow is the cornmeal of choice for polenta, served in every Italian restaurant in this very Italian state, and for cornbread, which accompanies everything from enchiladas to brisket.

Cornmeal is, simply, a flour made from ground corn. (In some countries it's called cornflour.) The corn is dried, cleaned and steamed, and the tough outer hull removed; then the remaining endosperm is passed between rollers or stones. Cornmeal can be steel-ground, which means that the husk and germ of the kernel have been removed, or stone-ground, which retains a bit of the hull and germ, resulting in more texture and better flavor. The occasional dark specks that you see in cornmeal are harmless, residual bits of the hilar that connects the germ to the rest of the kernel. The two types are interchangeable, so whenever possible use the more flavorful stone-ground cornmeal.

Available in granulations from fine to coarse, cornmeal can be baked into cookies, cakes, pancakes and cornbread, or stirred into a porridge, cou cou, or mush.

Steel-ground cornmeal will last for up to six months if stored in an airtight container; for longer storage, freeze for up to two years. Stone-ground cornmeal, because it retains more of its natural oil, is more perishable, so store it in the refrigerator for up to one month, or in the freezer.

One note of caution: Not all cornmeal is gluten-free, so if this is a concern for you, be sure to read labels carefully and check with the producer.

Oh, and if you come to Rhode Island, be prepared to vote. The polls are always open on the jonnycake issue.

POLENTA DOME
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates, by The Moosewood Collective. For a dome, the aim is a firm but pourable polenta. Finely ground cornmeal will cook in just a few minutes. Most medium-grind, fairly dark yellow cornmeals will take about 20 minutes to cook.  Stone-ground and very coarse cornmeals can take up to 45 minutes. All of the varieties will probably need additions of water during cooking.  (Note: the original recipe calls for 1 Tbsp fresh sage instead of parsley, and 2 tsp ground fennel instead of cumin. You can adjust the seasonings to “match” any soup or stew you're serving.) Serves 8.

4 cups water or vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 cups cornmeal
1 medium-small butternut squash (approximately 2 lbs)
2 Tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground black pepper, or more to taste
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (optional, but recommended)

In a covered pot, bring water or stock and 1 tsp of salt to a boil. Generously oil a 2-quart or larger bowl (a glass mixing bowl works well).

While the water heats, warm the olive oil in a heavy skillet on medium heat. Cook the onions, garlic, and 1/2 tsp of salt for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are caramelized.

When the water boils, gradually pour in the cornmeal while stirring vigorously. Reduce the heat until the thickening cornmeal simmers gently. Cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta is thick and tastes done (not raw).

Meanwhile, peel and seed the squash. Use a food processor or hand grater to shred it to yield 2 cups of grated squash. Stir the squash, parsley, cumin and pepper into the sautéing onions and cook for 3-4 minutes. If the vegetables begin to stick, add a tiny bit of water. Cover and remove from heat.

When the polenta is ready, stir in the sautéed vegetables. Add the cheese, if using. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Pour the polenta into the prepared bowl and set it aside to cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, until firm.

One hour before serving, preheat the oven to 400°F. Invert the cooked polenta dome onto an ovenproof platter or large rimmed baking pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until hot. Surround it with a beautiful stew, or serve on its own, cut into wedges.

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Baked polenta with braised wild mushrooms
Lemon-currant johnnycake biscotti
Sweet potato bread
Whole wheat pizza crust
Indian pudding

Demerara sugar (Recipe: cherry pistachio cookies)

How do you know when you're losing your grip?

You find five -- five -- bottles of vinegar in the pantry. Five bottles identical in size, shape and color. You can't remember the last time you used vinegar for anything except pickles, yet you keep buying more.

At the same time, you find none -- zero, zip, nada -- of your favorite chili paste with garlic.

And then you find demerara sugar.

You have no idea when this sugar arrived, or by what mode of transport, yet it looks quite at home, having graduated from temporary housing (bag or box) to permanent accommodation (recycled grated cheese jar... hmmmm, where did that come from? You really are losing your grip.).

You just have one question. Well, two questions:

What is it, and what can I do with it?

Demerara sugar is an unrefined, large-crystal brown sugar, extracted from sugar cane rather than sugar beets. Named after a colony in Guyana, which first began producing and selling the sugar in large volume, most demerara sugar now comes from Mauritius, where it is made by pressing the sugar cane, and then steaming the juice of the first pressing to form thick cane syrup. The cane syrup is allowed to dehydrate, leaving behind large golden brown crystals of sugar.

The sugar has a rich molasses-like flavor which enhances baked goods. And, like a sweet counterpart to sea salt, the large crystals also remain crunchy, which makes this sugar a good choice for sprinkling, topping and coating.

Demerara adds texture and a creamy sweetness to banana-coconut bread, citrus sables, peach cobbler, ginger-pecan biscotti, rhubarb crumble cake, and apple-buttermilk scones.

If you spy some demerara sugar in your pantry, don't be surprised to find turbinado and muscovado, too. All three of these unrefined "specialty" sugars, once available only at gourmet and baking supply stores, are now easy to find in supermarkets everywhere, including the one in my small town in Rhode Island.

CINDY'S CHERRY PISTACHIO COOKIES
My friend Cindy Salvato, an executive pastry chef and owner of Rhode Island Market Tours, shared this recipe for cookies that have all the colors of the Italian flag. Makes 6 dozen.

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg, separated
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
1 8-oz container glazed red cherries

In a large bowl of an electric mixture, cream together the butter, sugar and salt. Beat in the egg yolk; mix well. Cover and refrigerate the egg white for finishing the cookies. Add the flour and nuts; blend on low speed until just combined. Remove from the mixer and with a strong spoon, or your hands, mix in the cherries. Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a log about 10-inches long; wrap in plastic and chill over night.

To finish the cookies:

1/3 cup demerara sugar

Adjust the oven rack to the center shelf and preheat to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line with a Silpat; set aside. Pour the sugar onto a piece of wax paper or aluminum foil. Lightly brush the egg white over the surface of the log; press and roll the log into the coarse sugar; transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife slice the log in 1/2-inch slices; transfer to the cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container or freeze.

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Ted's Very Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies
Honey-gingerbread cookies
Drop In & Decorate sugar cookies
Raisin banana scones
Irish soda bread

Other People's Pantries #7

From Mary (From the Heart of Texas), in Frankton, Texas:

I just recently built a new house and in designing it, started with the pantry. Here are photos of the pantry and my spice rack.

On Saturdays, we peek into Other People's Pantries.

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.